24 Hours of Ole' Pueblo

I'm the first to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of 24-hour racing.  I like to sleep at night almost as much as I like to race my bike.  Almost......  24 Hours of Old Pueblo may be the one exception.

With over 3000 people congregating in the middle of the desert just north of Tucson, Arizona, 24 Hours of Old Pueblo is the biggest 24-hour race on the planet.  Ok.  I don't know for sure if it is the biggest 24-hour race on the planet, but it just may be!  And the race vibe was fantastic!

Shannon and I flew into Phoenix Thursday night.  We ended up staying at a hotel in Phoenix and getting some much needed sleep before driving the two hours to the race venue on Friday.   We spun out our legs on the race course and quickly learned that what the course lacked in technical terrain, it made up for in precarious cacti just waiting for you to let your guard down, get too close, and impale you.

There are no meadows of flowers at Old Pueblo.  Just meadows of cacti!  

Totally not kidding about the danger cacti.  Our race bag came with a cacti extractor (aka hair pick).

It's all about technique.
The proper way to use the cactus extractor to extract a cactus.  

Shannon and I teamed up with some of the Pivot crew on a 5-person co-ed team.  And while we didn't know who our teammates were until the morning of the race, we couldn't have asked for a better team dynamic or more fun crew to race with!  

After 24 hours of racing, perfect weather, jockeying between 2nd and 4th, and some late night strategizing and calculations that was downright comical with our fatigue, we rolled in in 3rd place.  While the result was fun and exciting, the highlight of the weekend was most definitely spending time with new and old friends alike.

The course was lined for the Lemans start

The Pivot Pro posse on the podium

Another highlight of the weekend was visiting Pivot headquarters in Phoenix.  I have no photos because what goes on there is top secret (not exactly:), however I will say this: A LOT of heart, soul, love, and pride goes into every single bike.  It is no wonder that Pivot bikes ride so well!  I am honored to be a small part of this extraordinary family!

In other news, I received this message after Friday's "routine" mammogram:

I think I will have a great weekend!